Means for filling molds



Apr. 17, 1923. v 1 1,452,381

W. S. HILDEBRAND MEANS FOR FILLING MOLDS Filed Feb. 16 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l Z0 5%? I Straw?! W. S. HILDEBRAND MEANS FOR FILLING MOLDS Apr. 17, 1923. 1,452,381

Filed Feb. '16 1921 2 Sheets-Shet 2 H v u 36 All 4 30' a? 3 t ,7 l I wuen 0'0 a5 W W Patented Apr. 17, 1923.

, UNITED STAT S WALTERS. HIIiDEBRAND, or MOUNT Union, PENNSYLVANIA.

llflCEANS FOR FILLING MOLDS.

Application filedFebruary 16, 1921. Serial No. 445,423 i To'aZZ whom itmay concern:

,Be it known that I, l/VALTER S. HILDE- BRAND, acitizen of the United States, residing at Mount Unio nin the county of Huntingdon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Filling Molds, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in mold filling mechanisms, and more particularly to a type of such mechanisms adapted for use in the making of silica brickfor the construction of coke ovens, steel works, and the like.

In the present practice of makingbricks of thecharacter mentioned,the methods for the filling of the brick molds, which are substantially rectangular in form, have certain serious disadvantages and defects,-caused primarily by the formation of air pockets along theangular edges and corners at the bottom of the molds by reasonof'the silica mud not being sufiicientlyfpacked orotherwise entirely filling the mold, so that the j v V entire, mechanism positioned" for operation,

resultant bricks havetheir edges formed on broken or ragged lines and not in the nature of smooth angular surfaces, as isdesired. These disadvantages and defects have been overcome heretofore in some instances by jarring the molds or by packingthesilica mud into the molds by hand, such as requires an excessive expenditure of time and without any definite assurance that the an- .gles and corners of the molds have been completely filled. T I 1 i The principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a mechanism of the typeset forth, whereby to overcome the serious defects and disadvantages aforesaid,

and one which is entirely automatic in operation, the same embodying a means for delivering a slightly excessive amount of silica mud in a form to drop by gravity into a mold where natural spreading. action under r its own weight will cause the latter to be completely filled without any possibility of air pockets being formed, in theresultant rectangular mass in the same. 7

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the certain new and useful construction, andarrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more {fully describe d,.set forth in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which i h Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the feed hop- P v. I

Fig. 2 is a side elevationthereof, v Fig. 3-is an end elevation of the same,

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken onthe line of Fig. l, showing a measured charge of thelsilica mud in position to be discharged to'the mold, v

.Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar, to that of-Fig. l, but showing the mechanism adjustedfor a largercharge of the sili ca' mud in position to be discharged to the mold, p ,F 6 is aview similar to that. of Figs. 4 and 5, but showing the position of the charge measuring and delivering 'mean safter a charge ofthe silica to; the mold, T

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail of the automatic actuating means for tlie charge delivery mechanism, I U I F 1g. 8 is a diagrammatical View of the and,

site end walls 12 depending for a distance' below the" bottom walls 11.

mud has been discharged Fig. 9] is a vertical, longitudinal section PATENT. OFFICE. 4

Extending, to either ,side of the"opening 11 in both of the side walls-1 2 are pairs of horizontally elongated slot-Ways 13 and '13, in which are slidably supported a pair of rods or shafts 14 and 14' to each of which is depending-1y secured rectangular plates :15 and 15, respectively, which are normally held .witlrtheirbottom edges inclose abutungrelationon a line in the plane of the longitudinal centeno-fthe opening 11' and forming between their opposed faces a sub stantially \hsha'ped discharge hopper, each of the plates being provided with outwardly projecting arms 16 and 16, respectively,on which are carried weights l7 and 17, respectively, for such purpose.

he shafts 1 1 and 14: each have their oppositely projecting ends supported in journaled' carriages 18 and 18, respectively, which have sets of rollers 19 and 19, operating on rails 20 one on either side of the hopper 10. For adjusting the plates 15 and 15 one with respect to the other, whereby to vary the capacity of the discharge hopper formed by and between the same, the carriages 18 at one side of the main hopper 10 are inter-connected together by means of a pair of links 21 and 21, pivotally connected at their free ends to an actuating link 22 to form a toggle mechanism. The link 22 is formed to provide an interiorally threaded eye 23 in which is engaged the threaded shaft 2% which is, in turn, journaled in a bearing bracket secured to the outer face ofone of the side walls 12 of the hopper 10.

and has itsllower free end provided with a hand wheel 26 for its operation. The eye 23 on the link 22 is formed with a laterally pro jecting indicating pointer 27 which is movable overa scale 28 laid out on the face of the hopper wall 12 in parallel relation to the longitudinal axis of the screw-threaded shaft- 24, whereby the capacity of the discharge hopper formed by the plates 15 and 15 may be accurately adjusted for the filling of particularly sized molds. By turning the hand wheel 26 in one direction, the pairs of carriages 18 and 18 are moved toward each other and in a reverse direction, away from each other, and the shafts 14 and 14: are moved correspondingly along the slot-ways 13 and 13, whereby to correspondingly move the upper portion of the plates 15 and 15 toward each other, or away from each other, as the case may be.

For the purpose ofopening the plates 15 and 15' in a rapid manner for the discharge of a charge of silica mud therefrom, 0n the outer side of the same. are formed closed loop members 29 and 29, respectively, having their slotted openings "elongated in a vertical direction, and extending transversely of the hopper 1"();a11 d passing through the members 29 and 29 a pair of shafts or rods 30v and 30","respectively, the opposite ends of the same being engaged in pairs of slots 31 and 31, formed in the side walls 12 of the hopper 1 0 Carried on the outer ends of the shafts 30 and 30 are rollers and 32, respectively, and operated with one pair of these rollers 32 at; one side of the hopper 10 is a substantially triangular-shaped cam member 33, which is carried on an arm 31 extending to one 10. j

. Referring particularly to Figs. 7 and 8,

side of the hopper the outer end-of the arm 34 is loosely carried on a driven shaft 35, on which is secured a sleeve 36 having a slot 37 extending substantially for one half of 1ts circumference, and in which is engaged a lug 38 carried on the arm 34:. Power being applied to the shaft the rollers 32 and forces the same apart, or

outward of the slots 31 and 31, whereby the plates 15 and 15 are separated at their lower edges as the silica mud is free to drop downward therefrom. The provision of the weights 1'7 and 17 assures of the plates 15 and 15 returning to their normal position.

Inthe use of the invention thus provided, the plates 15 and 15 are adjusted, as before stated, for the reception'of a desired or predetermined amount of the silica mud, which is placed in position to the slot 11 of the hopper 10. The charge of mud now assui'nes wedge forn'iatio n, and when the plates 15 and 15 are separated, as before stated, is, discharged downward for a suitable distance into the mold 39, which is placed in proper position for its reception. In falling, the charge of mud retains its shape and the apex of the wedge strikes the center of the bottom wall of the mold 39 and immediatelv spreads outward to all'sides of the same with the great force of its impact, as is shown in F 1g. '8, the bulk of the charge gradually filling'the entlre mold and forcing all air outward thereof, afterward, any

surplus of-tlre mud may be suitably scraped oil the upper side so as to give the bricks the desired smooth surface when finished. Afterthe "filling of the first mold, the operation is to be repeated as described for the first instance. It is to be here noted that when the plates 15 and 15 are rapidly separated, the wedge-shaped mass of mud is instantly released but remains suspended in 'midair momentarily, and then falls to the mold, apex downward.

It is to be understood that various changes in the detail of construction "and arrangement of parts may be resorted to. without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. i I 'I-I'avii'rg thus fully described the invention, what is claimed, is

.1. A mold filling mechanism comprising a material feed hopper, means depending K from said feed hopper for forming a predetermined amount of the material into a substantially wedge shaped mass, and means for actuating said first mentioned means for the discharge ofthe material, when formed, by gravity therefrom into a mold positioned beneath the hopper.

2. A mold filling mechanism comprising a material feed hopper, a discharge hopper carried by said feed hopper and adapted for forming a predetermined amount of the material into a substantially wedge-shaped mass, said discharge hopper being formed of transversely separable parts, and means for separating the parts of said discharge hopper for the gravitating therefromof the material, when formed, whereby the apex of the wedge shaped mass thereof strikes the bottom wall of a mold positioned beneath the hopper and spreads under the force of its impact to completely fill the interior of the mold without the formation of air pockets within the resultant mass.

3. A mold filling mechanism comprising a material feed hopper, a two-part discharge hopper depending from said feed hopper and adapted for forming a predetermined amount of the material into a substantially wedge-shaped mass, means for adjusting the parts of the discharge hopper to accommodate various amounts of the material, and power means for separating the parts of said discharge hopper for the gravitating therefrom of the material, when formed, whereby the apex of the wedge-shaped mass thereof strikes the bottom wall of the mold positioned beneath the hopper and spreads under the force of its impact to completely fill the interior of the mold without the formation of air pockets within the resultant mass.

4. A mold filling mechanism comprising a gravitating therefrom of the material in substantial V-shaped form, whereby the apex thereof'strikes the bottom wall of the mold positioned beneath the hopper and spreads under the force of-the impact to completely fill the interior of the mold without the formation of air pockets within the resultant mass. 7

5. A mold filling mechanism comprising a material feed hopper, a substantially V- shaped discharge hopper. formed'to provide separable parts pivotally mounted on and depending. from said feed hopper, means for adjusting the pivotal supports of the parts of the hopper in opposite directions one from the other, and power actuated cam means for separating said parts of said discharge hopper for the gravitating therefrom of the material in substantial V-shaped form, whereby the apex thereof strikes the bot-om wall of a mold positioned beneath the hopper and spreads under the force of its impact to completely-fill the mold without the formation of air pockets within the resultant mass.

In testimony whereof, I aifix my signature hereto. Y

\VALTER S. HILDEBRAND. 

